• Art = Solice = Disability = Art = Freedom

I have always been hesitant to speak about my disability, the reasons for this is complex and hard to explain. I hope to start a dialogue in this blog and to open this part of my life to move forward.

I do not want my disability to be my sole-focus or my complete identity in life, but it is such a large part of my life, it has significantly impacted my art.

My wish to share this part of my life, as it adds a new dimension of understanding in my work as an artist.

My art has always been an open representation of my inner self and it has reflected into the choice of colour, style and subject matter in all of my work, including the ‘Landscape Moods Collection’ mixed media paintings, started in 2002. I have created work from my heart from the age of 17, which has presented my life in my art, in every medium I have explored and studied.

My emotions are the are a pivotal catalyst which drives my work.

Above: ‘Landscape Tones II’

An organisation called ‘Disability Arts International’ (coordinated by the British Council) has made me stop and think…

…why not speak about this?!?!

About ‘Disability Arts International’:

“‘Disability Arts International’ aims to promote the work of the exciting generation of excellent disabled artists, disabled-led companies and inclusive arts organisations. It also aims to share the ways arts organisations are increasing access to the arts for disabled people as audiences and visitors.”

This organisation work to open doors, create opportunities for disabled artists and educate or inform galleries, organisations and studios. I truly feel it will add a new dimension of understanding my work as an artist.

A Bit About Me:

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in 2009, but this degenerative, destructive, auto-immune disease has been with me since my teenage years. The constant pain, lack of mobility, irritating medications and challenges it gives me are intensely frustrating. Though I have other health conditions, it is the RA that deeply affects every part of my life.

Saying this, it is what you do with pain that matters. My late father said “I do as much as I can, when I can” and it is a saying I try to lead my life by. It also makes for interesting art, which allows me a way to vent good and bad into each piece in painting and clay.

Above: ‘Purple Punk’d Velvet’ on exhibition

Every aspect of my disability changes my art journey: the way you feel emotionally, how your disability transforms your life, how you are forced to adapt your every day life, how the struggle means you cannot create freely….

As I said, disability is a subject in my life and is close to my heart

I have struggled for decades with health issues. I do not speak of it often, but why not?

I will be addressing this part of my life in an interview with a difference… called the “The Heroine’s Journey”

I am definitely no heroine, but my life has been quite a complex roller-coaster-ride and definitely fits the word of a journey.

Above: Me aged 18 at my ‘A Level Art and Design’ final exhibition

I did not realise the fine nuances of disability, until my RA flared up and has stayed active since 2008, but it is not filled with just negatives and there are many positives I try to focus on.

This is a subject close to my heart, as I have struggled for decades with physical and mental health issues. I do not speak of it often in a public forum; however, my wish to share this part of my life adds a new dimension of understanding in my work as an artist.

Above: ‘Pink Punk’d Panther’

My art has always been an open representation of my inner self and it has reflected into the choice of colour, style and subject matter in my ‘Landscape Moods Collection’ mixed media paintings, started in 2002. The effects of my health added depth, meaning and passion to my work and is like an endless pile of ideas.

The artwork above was created in 1995, listening to the soundtrack of the film ‘Natural Born Killers’

I have created work (as shown above) from my heart from the age of 17, which has embodied my life within my art, in every medium I have explored and studied. It is since I was a teenager that music was a driving force in my work, by pulling out emotions from the melody and meaning.

Above: ‘Torn’ – Sold

The art I have created since 2002 is a series of mixed media paintings, called the ‘Landscape Moods Collection’, in which my emotions play a pivotal role for each painting. Despite the fact I have drawn on my feelings since I was a teenager, it is my daily experiences that drive this body of work. This series of mixed media paintings first created in 2002, called the ‘Landscape Moods Collection’.

Why did you put the word ‘Moods’ this collection the title of ‘Landscape Moods’?

The title of this collection took me some time to consider, debate and decide upon. The title needed to be self-explanatory, clear and short. I never wanted the title to be an essay, just two words and I chose the two words that epitomises my mixed media painting collection:

‘landscape’&‘moods’

The title can be broken down into two concepts. The first was the subject matter, which is ‘landscapes’, and the second is the motivation or inspiration of my work, which is the word ‘moods’. My work is filled with complex meanings; however, I wanted to express who I am, my core personality or an emotion that I was battling with or celebrating.

The painting below is titled ‘Angry Skies’ and it was painted “en plein air” or outside, under cover during a hail storm, here in the UK. The rain and hail symbolised that time of my life in 2007 and these feeling poured into the painting below.

Above: ‘Angry Skies’ (2007) Sold with London Art

My art has always been an open representation of my inner self and it has reflected into the choice of colour, style and subject matter in my ‘Landscape Moods Collection’ mixed media paintings, started in 2002.

I drew the artwork during my ‘Art and Media BA (Hons)’ 1st year which I titled ‘Facets of Self’. It was a drawing from a series which where to explore 3 words:

Self Portrait

Facets of Self

History

I created the drawing below during my Art and Media BA (Hons), which broke down my facets of self or pieces of who I am into 3, which can be seen as positive or negative: